Survival crafting hops the tracks: Snowpiercer-style train bases are the genre’s next big trend

Survival crafting games are a very popular genre amongst gamers of late: Minecraft, Terraria, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Valheim are among the most-played games in the genre. The games usually revolve around players being let loose in a sandbox-like, hazardous environment where they must scavenge for resources to survive. 

There are often dangers lurking about, monsters, animals, demons, zombies, etc., which at the initial stage will prove to be a significant challenge. Survivors will need to scavenge a set of simple tools and weapons and gather enough food and water to survive, usually while managing their health, food, water, and other factors. 

Most of these games involve building a shelter of some kind, usually in the form of a ‘base’ fortified against both the elements and enemies. This serves as both a sanctuary from the dangers and a place to store, refine, and eventually craft resources, anything from tools and weapons, to advanced gear, and ‘work benches’ to advance your crafting. 

A Snowpiercer-esque take on survival

A new trend has emerged in the genre recently, one where the survivor’s main base is a mostly functioning train, bringing in a Snowpiercer-like twist to the already very popular genre. Here are several games survival-crafting enthusiasts can look forward to this year.

Frostrail is a ‘chilling’ new survival-crafter, set in a post-apocalyptic frozen world, where a supernatural catastrophe has corrupted the lands because of a pact between the Emperor and the Void. Players can expect the usual survival crafting experience, with the availability of more modern weapons, like automatic rifles, to fight off the invading corrupted creatures. The game features deep crafting, scavenging, and exploration systems. 

EverRail is a futuristic take on the genre, offering an experience more like Dune: Awakening, if players were traversing the deserts of Arakis on a train. With more advanced technology offering players weapons like energy rifles and support equipment like drones to scout out areas suitable for stopping. Survivors then raid enemy bases and hideouts for resources used to power their mobile base and craft better gear. 

In the post-apocalyptic world of Enginefall, the entire explorable environment consists of these colossal trains that run continuously. Survivors can switch trains, scavenge, explore, raid, and return to their part of the train, where they build their own personal shelter, till you can afford to run your own train. The trains themselves are a massive PvP-enabled zone, where players fight for precious resources as they make their way up to first class. Enginefall also has a closed beta running where players can request access via its Steam store page.